A Job Worth Doing

I am confident at some point in time you have heard the saying, “A job worth doing is a job worth doing right!” This means that if a job is started, it should be completed with care, and to the best of my ability. You should take pride in what you do and emphasize quality over quantity, rather than just going through the motions or doing a half-hearted job. Essentially, if something is worth doing at all, it's worth doing well. I spend a lot of time in my garden. I call it my dirt therapy! I take pride in my garden and when things don't go as I had hoped, I am is very disappointed! It also gives me a great sense of accomplishment to share the things I grow in my garden with those I love! Have you ever wondered what you will be doing in heaven? I bet work and having a job is probably the last thing you think of when you imagine Heaven. After all, doesn’t the Bible describe Heaven, as a place of rest? How could there possibly be work in a place of rest?

Isaiah 65: 21-23 NIV They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. 

If you were to ask the average Christian to describe what Heaven is like, you are more likely to hear descriptions of floating on a cloud than you will building houses or planting and tending to vineyards and gardens. The thought of working in heaven may be distasteful to some, especially to those who have spent their lives at a job that was physically or mentally demanding. But work in heaven will be quite unlike our jobs that we work at in this world. Our job in eternity will simply be to serve God. Heavenly work is often described as service to God and others, a continuation of the good works that believers are called to on Earth, but without the weariness and limitations of this life. I am not sure where the idea of heaven being a place where we lounge around on clouds, strumming a harp comes from, but it does not come from the Bible. From the beginning, God intended work to be part of the human experience. Work was His design; even before the fall, Adam had a job, as God placed him in the garden to work it and take care of it, and Eve was to assist with the work, as God created Eve to be Adam’s helper.

Genesis 2:15 NIV The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 

Genesis 2:20 NIV So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.

Before the fall, the work God gave Adam and Eve was fulfilling, invigorating, and provided a sense of purpose. Only after the introduction of sin into the world did man’s job become difficult. Even in our sinful world, work can still be good and can provide purpose and fulfillment. The problem is many things get in the way of enjoying a job, personal problems, unrealistic demands and physical or mental fatigue. In contrast, work in heaven will be pleasant and satisfying. There will be no conflicts, impractical expectations, or fatigue, and we’ll have the perfect Boss. So until that day when we reach our final destination and get our heavenly jobs. Do everything as if you were already working for God.

Colossians 3:23 NIV Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.